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The Killer  -  Criterion Collection

The Killer - Criterion Collection

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Classic John Woo and Chow Yun Fat
Review: Ever wondered where the stylish moves from Face Off came from? Well wonder no more. An epic heroic bloodshed bullet ballet masterpiece that puts most Hollywood films to shame. This is the greatest. Shame about the price though. I got mine for half this at Sensasian.com and that includes shipping too.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: What is Justice?
Review: This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. But watch it with the subtitles.
This is a movie with complex characters who have remarkable depth.
An unlikely friendship forms between a conscience ridden gun for hire and the police officer seeking to bring him to justice. Each an outcast in his own world, each believing in a code of justice.
With both the crime boss and the police closing in on them, they fight side by side to protect a beautiful woman who was accidentally blinded by the killer's gun in a shootout at a club.
This movie is passionate, and the characters are sympathetic and achingly human.
It is incredibly violent, and there is a great deal of bloodshed. But it's also a great film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My favorite movie
Review: John Woo is a brilliant genius. Chow Yun Fat is a brilliant genius. You put the two together and you have an over-the-top, action movie. It is a combination of my favorite director and actor. Of course that makes it my favorite movie. Of all-time. The shootout scenes are some of the most beautiful shootout scenes in history. John Woo and Chow Yun Fat bring about a lyrical beauty that just drives you to speechlessness. Chow's screen presence is something seldom seen elsewhere in all of cinema.
I'll be honest. It is a very bloody and violent movie. But the intensity between Danny Lee and Chow Yun Fat has seldomly been paralelled anywhere in cinema. If you have never seen it before, try getting a dubbed version. At least for me, subtitled movies are hard to follow. If you want a movie that, for me, defines Hong Kong cinema, then this is the movie for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MAGNIFICENT ACTION THRILLER
Review: It's great to get my hands on a dvd of this movie. Although John Woo's Hollywood films are good, this shining example of the Chinese action thriller genre (out of over 20 from his Hong Kong days) is something else.

However, if you don't like guns then I have to say that this movie is not for you. Because John Woo definitely does like guns - lots of guns - firing incalculable numbers of bullets in all directions at every opportunity. Not surprisingly it's a violent movie, but not an especially gory one. Although the body count is high, "The killer" definitely oozes more style than blood and its many action sequences are all filmed with tastefully impeccable attention to detail.

It's essentially a film about redemption. Chow Yun Fat stars as a hit man with a heart. Hired to kill a gangster in a nightclub, during the shoot-out which follows he fires his gun too close to the face of the club singer who is blinded by the blast. Haunted by what he has done he keeps returning to the club, gets to know the singer (without revealing his guilty secret) and sets about raising enough money to pay for an operation which will restore her sight.

After his next job he finds himself double-crossed and pursued by deadly killers from both sides of the law and eventually forms an uneasy alliance with the cop who is initially out to nail him. The final showdown takes place, somewhat symbolically, in a church whose pristine white interior is systematically defiled and destroyed during the ensuing carnage.

"The killer" is a shoot-em up classic which I've watched hundreds of times and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Killer DVD
Review: Well what can be said, Woo at his alltime best.
A masterfull blend of Violence poetically infused into a story of the usual cocktail cops, gangs revenge, but this is way above the rest this is what created the mould.
Chow yun fat is superb Woo is sensational
This is a must see movie.
The DVD offers a great picture considering the age of the film(1989)
All that can be left to say is 10 out of 10

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE KILLER
Review: I OWN 65 OF CHOW YUN FAT'S WORK, INCLUDING FOUR DIFFERENT SERIES AND THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!. CHOW YUN FAT LOOKS EVERY BIT THE ASIAN HEARTTHROB WE WOMEN LOVE. THE ACTION SCENES ARE GREAT, I WATCH THIS MOVIE AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. GREAT MOVIE, GREAT ACTION, AND ONE OF CHOW'S BEST. YOU WILL LOVE IT!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the best movie ever made
Review: cat is nonsense, i will pay jeffry to deal with her. this is the best movie ever. chinese movies are the best movies, and this is the best chinese movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Emotional, Adrenaline Ride that will leave you Breathless
Review: I saw this film because I'm a fan of stylish shooter movies and this looked like it would be a good movie. I was wrong, it's an OUTSTANDING movie. The acting is excellent to go along with the elogant dialogue. The shootouts and stylish and amazing, there is no modern action movie that "The Killer" has not influenced. The story is well done with no dry spots in between all the action. The overall movie is so emotional and so actionpacked when you finish you'll have to breathe deep to catch your breath after the final gunfight, it's that exhilirating. A definite must see for any action film fan, easily one of the best if not the best action movie out there.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: John Woo's Best Film! A Masterpiece!
Review: Many fans and critics often name "Hard Boiled" to be John Woo's best film. While that high-charged action classic is excellent as well, not to mention essential viewing, "The Killer" ranks slightly higher. It's all in the details...

The deceptively simple story involves a hit man (Chow Yun-Fat), a cop, and a beautiful nightclub singer who was blinded during a botched assassination attempt. The plot concerns the hit man's attempt to pay for the nightclub singer's cornea operation. However, it is much more complicated and nuanced than that. This is really a powerful story about loyalty, pride, and friendship.

Director John Woo has recently made it big in Hollywood, having directed "Mission Impossible II" and "Face/Off". And while these later films are great, they don't compare to Woo's earlier, more mature work. "The Killer" not only has an intelligent and engrossing plot, but also features action scenes that are among Woo's absolute best. Sprinkled throughout the film are set pieces that are so outrageous and thrilling that they practically make American action films seem tame in comparison.

Woo uses impressive stunts, camera tricks, and excellent directing to make these action sequences come alive, and boy do they ever. The action scenes in the film range from impressive, to over-the-top genius. The opening shoot-out at the nightclub catches the viewer off guard and the final battle at the church is so extreme that you won't believe what you're seeing. It's also important to note that this film is extremely violent. In fact, it originally received an X-Rating because of its excessive bloodletting. "The Killer" is very realistic and gruesome in its portrayal of violence. This film is anything but subtle (expect to see the body count rise to over 100 onscreen shootings).

However, this film is not just about blood and gunfire (although there's plenty of that). Repeated viewings reveal just how great the directing is. You can definitely see John Woo's influences in those Film Noir films of the 40s and 50s. Much attention is given to atmosphere and light, and the film is rich in poetic symbolism (a dove extinguishing a candle after a character has been shot). John Woo uses every scene to his advantage, turning "The Killer" into a work of art. One particularly impressive scene features the hit man and the cop having a conversation at a secluded river. The dialogue these two men have is nothing short of brilliant, and the scene is so well crafted that it gets better and better every time you see it. If at all possible, make sure you see the film in WIDESCREEN to experience the film the way it was meant to be.

"The Killer" is simply John Woo's best film, and has recently become a popular cult-classic. Combining a great plot, rich atmosphere, and breathtaking action sequences, John Woo creates a Neo-Noir masterpiece.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: unsurprising
Review: you can tell the kind of movie this is in the first five minutes and then it just keeps beating the same horse. I tried but couldn't make it past the first 50 minutes. It's the same cliche of a killer with a heart thrown at you over and over. My copy of it is going straight to the "I have one to sell" page.


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